Garrulous Jay

To me, feathers embody the resilience of nature. Through painting on these structures, I feel that I am celebrating nature whilst recognising that these fragile constructs somehow allow birds to fly, to keep warm and to keep dry. I find the feathers whilst walking my dog. Once cleaned, the bird oil is removed, the barbs (the main branches off the central shaft) are straightened, before re-hooking, wherever possible, the barbules (the tiny filaments off the barbs). The feather is then ready to be painted on. No rough design is possible on the feather itself, as mistakes cannot be erased, so I have to visualise the design before committing to paint. I love utilising these most natural of canvases to create delicate, tiny depictions of a range of different animals.

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